A Universal Serial Bus (USB) communication standard is a universal wired interface and protocol to enable electronic devices to exchange data. Various connectors are specified for information exchange in accordance with the standard. One or more dedicated USB ports, i.e., USB connectors, are typically employed in an electronic device. There are three basic types of connectors identified in various USB 2.0 Specifications: Standard, Mini-USB, and Micro-USB connectors. In USB 3.0 Specifications, two basic types of connectors are defined: Standard, and Micro-USB connectors. The USB port of a device is typically coupled to the USB port of another device via a cable. A USB transceiver may be employed in each device to send and receive USB protocol signals to and from the corresponding USB port. Additionally, the USB protocol defines the power and ground connectivity between the two devices.
A DisplayPort (DP) communication standard is an interface and link protocol for transferring high definition video/audio and data across computer systems and electronics devices. The Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) has defined various standards versions, which are incorporated by reference herein, including 1.1, 1.1a and 1.2. The DisplayPort standard defines a multi-laned one-way serial interface for connecting a source device, such as a system that generates a media or multimedia signal, i.e., video and/or audio, with a sink device, such as a display that renders the signal in audio-visual manner. Additionally, the DisplayPort standard defines a two way serial communication side-band channel, along with the multi-laned serial interface, for device configurations on either side of the connected link to identify and set the correct transmission of the multimedia content. The DP communications standard is defined by VESA as royalty free.
The DP protocol is scalable in terms of usable bandwidth and has a higher bandwidth than the high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) standard. The DP protocol uses one to four pairs of communication lines (called lanes) depending on the bandwidth needed to transmit a single video/audio stream. In case the link does not need four lanes to transfer information, one or two lanes can also be used to transfer one stream of video/audio data or multiple streams/displays of video/audio data depending on the bandwidth needed. The two-way serial communication side-band channel is responsible for setting up the lanes requirement and other communications on both sides.
A dedicated DP protocol connector may be employed in a device for multimedia content communication with an external device in accordance with the DP communication standard. Most electronic devices that support wired data communication employ one or more USB connectors, but do not include a DP protocol connector due to size or upgradability limitations. Such electronic devices may include set-top boxes, and handheld communication devices, such as mobile telephones, tablets, digital still cameras, digital video camcorders, mp4 players, and media players, for example. What is needed is a more efficient system for communicating with devices having different communication protocols.